The king's labyrinth
There once was a cruel king who was quite troubled indeed. Reason was that he could not have any children, and so he had it hard to chose an aeir to the throne. And so he made build a grand labyrinth to which only he could manuver, filed with traps and monsters, and at its hart he imprisoned both the builders and the arcitect once the structure was done. He then decreed that whoever could serch and find his crown in the labyrinth would be made his sucsessor. Many a knights and mages all tryed their luck but to no avail. Both fourtune finders and far of princes and traders went down but just to never be seen again. And so it was said that it was impossible to find, and there would never be anyone worthy as sucsessor. One day there came a boy (girl) who had heard of this most chalenging task and wished to have a go. Though the boy was most cleaver and thought to plan ahead before entering the dark maze. To clear his head he took a walk, upon the large fealds he saw a shepard who had his walk, amongst his flock there was the most shinging thing that the boy had seen, a golden sheep with flees so fine as silk and smoth as water. The boy walks up to the lonely shepard and offer him some food for company. When talking with the man he learns that the sheep is the sheards own to which he was granted by the late kings father. When the meal is done he ask for a second favour: "Why shepard, whould I be able to ask of you to lend the king your most butifull sheep for a day." At this the man had to think, but as the boy had been most kind, he agreed to do as the boy asked if when he became king, he would let his sheep eat anywhere within the kingdoms borders. To this the boy agree, and as such told the shepard of his plan. The next day the shepard brougt his sheep to the king at his castle, the boy nowhere to be seen. Once there he showed the king his grate pride, the golden sheep. The monarc was thrilled, such a grand thing had he never seen, the creature surtanly one of a kind. The shepard told the king that he was willing to lend the sheep to the king for a day, and if he let the beast pasture in his dungeons treasure room, then the whool would be even more handsome and he would let the king have half of the harvested coat. The king, unable to contain his hope for this unique treasure agreed emidietly, and the following evening he took the sheep as asked to the dungeon, though what he did no know, was that the boy had tied himself under the sheep, riding with it down and learning the secret paths and traps to avoid as the king followed a map he had to show him the way. Once in the treasure room, the king left the animal to roam around and left towalked back up. Once the king gone, the youth climbed down and had a look around, piles of gold, coper and silver was piled high to the celing, gemstones and marbel statues, things beond the boys dreams. In the far end the boy found a large cage, inside was the workers and the arcitect that the king had locked away. The boy walked up to them, offered to share whatever food and water that he had and they gladly acepted them. He told them of his plan to get the crown and told them that once he was king, he would releas them emediatly. But instead of turning happy they only where sad, one of the men telling him: "But king you will never be, even if you have learned of the way down here, once you are to put the crown on your head, it will turn you to stone as the mad king has cursed it". At this the boy reasured them that it would be fine, and he would return for them soon. When morning came, the king colected the sheep, and the boy once more hanging on under it was brought out and returned to the shepard. After awaiting a day, the boy returned by him self, asking to have a try at finding the crown, every persson in the throneroom warned him, telling it was impossible, but the king agreed and showed him the entrance to the maze underground. There the boy continued on his own, traveling the same path he had been lead the first time by the king. Once down in the dungeon he took the crown but did not put it on and then started his walk back. Once outside, people had gathered, all wondering if he was to ever return, when they saw him emerge, people where stunned as they saw the crown in his hand, but not as much as the king himself, almost red in anger. The people began to chere, asking him to put it on as he was to be king. The boy did as told, but put it on up side down. The people luaghed but this angered the king something grate, furious he took the crown away: "That is not how you wear a crown you little welp, let me show you." And as such he pressed the crown down upon his head and emediatly turned himself into stone. The people, no longer under the rule of their cruel king chared him on, and the boy was made king, true to his words, he freed the people from the gungeon, who helped him build the city large and whide, making it the most grand there ever was. And the shepard was alowed to roam the kingdoms lands free to live and let his sheep pasture in piece. The boy became a famous ruler as both fair and true. Bringing proseprety and enlightment to the land and lived so happily ever after after fighting a most cleaver dragon to gaine his bride so true, but that would be a story for another time. Lore Some schollars belive that the dungeon was not really built but is actually a referal to the underground maze of Chantopia (dravenport as it was known at the time) and the king refered to was Whallenheim, the son of Draven. And the crown was actually placed there by Draven himself, being the hart of fire mentioned in lore and also refered to in Jack and the spoiled prince, some versions perhaps therefor refer to the boy as a girl. Though the question regarding how the boy who fetched the crown is actually a reteling of jack finding the gem as young or another actuall persson or only is a only a ficktional folks tale has never been possible to establish.